Page 13 of Just A Little Magic

My first thought was I hoped it hurt a little bit going down, not a lot, though, because a bear was gonna bear. My second thought was that I’d lost my damn mind if this was what I thought about in my last moments of life.

“Bear! Go away!” I shouted as loud as I could muster.

The bear gave me a baleful look and turned away.

“Why are you yelling at me to go away?” the human Bear asked as he turned the corner. “Oh fuck…that’s a bear!” he shouted.

The black bear had gotten as far as the porch steps but now stopped to consider this new interloper on his land.

“Get out of here…go…shoo…go on…git,” not literal Bear said in his loud, deep voice.

Barrett’s size must have been more intimidating than mine because the bear left the porch and wandered back into the pine trees that ringed the clearing. They stopped at the edge and gave one more longing look at my future carcass before disappearing into the forest trees.

My heart pounded a rapid staccato and air refused to enter my lungs. I clung to the kitten but collapsed on the porch, trying to regulate my breathing and heart rate into anything that resembled normal.

Bear, the human variety, raced over and dropped to his knees beside me. Maybe I should have been embarrassed, but I’d come nose-to-nose withan effing bear. Tears leaked from my eyes, and I wasn’t concerned about wiping them away.

“Babe, are you okay? Did he swipe at you?”

Barrett ran his hands across my shoulders and down my arms. I tried to shake my head, but I was too overwhelmed to force my body to move.

“Baby? Answer me. Did the bear swipe or nip you?”

“N-n-n-o,” I stuttered out.

“Okay, let’s get you inside.” He finally noticed the kitten I’d clutched to me. “Oh, who’s this little one?”

Barrett peeled back my fingers and ran a gentle finger over the kitten’s silky head. He hissed a little but didn’t try to move away from me or claw his way out.

“It’s okay, buddy. I’m not going to take Owen away from you. You can come too.”

Barrett helped me onto my unsteady feet and guided me back inside the lodge. My new friend snuggled in close, and I felt his vibrating purrs. It helped ground me.

Never in my entire life had I been more scared. There was so damn much I wanted to do, and I hadn’t done any of it yet. Not dying a damn virgin was at the top of that list.

Barrett deposited me on one of the ugly couches and sat beside me. I felt his hands run over me again to check for injuries.

When I managed to get my eyes to focus properly, the first place I looked was up at him. He was so close I could smell the faint musk of his adrenaline. His eyes were narrowed with worry, and his harsh breathing matched my own.

But his eyes? They were the same ones I fell for when I’d sat on a different couch more than a decade earlier, and they shone with the same level of concern.

“Da, I scare.”

CHAPTER FIVE

BARRETT

“Baby, I know you were scared. It’s okay.”

Owen clung to me, and his nails bit into my hand.

“C’mere, and bring your kitty.”

I maneuvered Owen onto my lap and encircled him with my arms. He wasn’t conventionally small, but compared to me, he was tiny. The size difference allowed me to snuggle him close while he valiantly fought to bring his emotions back under control. His kitten was cuddled under his chin, and I heard the cat’s rumbling purr.

I’d waited ten years to be in this position, but I hated that it had only happened after Owen had the shit scared out of him. It was hard to argue with the outcome because he was finally in my arms and had called me Da.

The traumatic response potential slammed back into my consciousness. I’d rather cut off my arm than do something to take advantage of Owen.

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